so a few weeks ago i did something i was terrified to do! i got my eyebrows hyper-pigmented in a semi-permanent process.

this has been something i’ve considered doing for at least 2 years now, but just never pulled the trigger and would now recommend it to anyone who is self-conscious about their brows, if you have bald spots or just want to enhance the color. i have thin, blonde brows which are barely-there without me filling them in and i’ve come to appreciate how eyebrows can frame my face & was always self-conscious without them being “done” everyday or when i would go swimming and they would wash off. unfortunately, i was dumb when i was younger and overplucked but also my brows are just sparse and super light so i would use a light brown eyebrow pencil and even brow gel to fluff them up, every. damn. day. it got old and i started to become more serious about looking for and considering alternative options for semi-permanent makeup here around dallas. the thought of “tattooing” my eyebrows on freaked me the hell out and i was so nervous that they would come out looking like this. just google “bad tattooed eyebrows” – it’s scary and kinda funny at the same time.

i did a lot of research to try to find the best, most trust-worthy places around dallas to get this procedure done and stumbled upon best brows on social media. after looking through their services and the work that they do, i decided to go to a free in-person consultation to meet who would be doing the procedure and see if i felt comfortable, if i liked her brows, if the space felt clean, etc. & all my questions got answered and i felt i found the right place for me. they pride themselves on “microblading correction.” they do something different than the rest of the microblading industry, they use a tool, similar to a tattoo pen but with a very, very thin needle & that’s how they introduce pigment into the skin with realistic hair-like strokes. there would be no touch-ups required and my brows would last a few years until the pigment slowly fades, so it’s a semi-permanent process which i was ready to commit to. you can read more about their process here & check out some of their work here, just click on “our work.” the procedure was not cheap, but i wasn’t looking for the cheapest place in town i was looking for the right one for me. they were running a special and i paid $495. they seem to run specials often & if you check them out on social media you can see they have one going on right now for even cheaper than i paid at $395. i’m telling you, if you are leaning towards doing something like this i seriously cannot recommend them enough!

they’re located in the salon boutique at preston center off northwest highway & the dallas north tollway, right next to that downstairs marshall’s if you’ve ever been there. it’s a private room and it was just me and the sweet lady doing my brows with some relaxing music on. the whole procedure took about 2 hours from when i arrived, it started with numbing cream & then after 15 minutes she wiped that off and drew lines around the brows for where they would start and end & where the arch would be using a measuring tool and remind me along the way that they are “sisters, not twins,” which i thought was cute. once your face is marked up, you lay down and try to relax as she mixes your personalized color (which we had agreed on during my consultation) and the tattoo pen starts buzzing. you’re asked to stay as still as possible while she starts drawing hair strokes on your eyebrows. at first i was like “this is it?” and toward the middle of the first brow it really started to hurt in certain areas, but i just kept telling myself that “beauty is pain” and would push my head into the headrest to stay as still as possible and try not to squinch my eyes. she had me sit up throughout the process to examine the progress, readjust her lines if necessary & let me peek in the mirror. i was just so excited to be getting this done and being one step closer to pretty brows that i didn’t need to fill in anymore! at the end of the procedure, the brow area was a little red but immediately you could see the results and i loved them! i knew the next few days after were critical to not get them wet, keep them out of the sun, etc. but i was ecstatic with the results and as time goes by (it’s been about 3 weeks) and they have completely healed and i’ve gotten used to them, i love them even more. scroll down for some before & after photos!

these are my brows 3-weeks later with NO makeup on them. i am no longer filling them in or fluffing them up with brow gel in the mornings – this is them in their new “natural” state & i LOVE the result!

when i first started my blog i treated it as an online diary that kept my dallas family & friends connected to what my sister, mirelle, & i were doing while living so far away in israel, since instagram & snapchat didn’t exist back then. i moved to israel right after graduating college in 2008 and thought i was just going to spend 6 months there learning hebrew, blogging, traveling and then i would come home and “find a good job.” well…i ended up falling in love with the country (& and a man!), living there for 5 years, blogging the whole time, and in 2013 my now-hubby dekel & i moved back to texas where i’m from. i have continued blogging since moving back to the states (okkkk, maybe skipping a few months aka a year) but have shifted personal goals and the aspirations that i have for myself & my site. if you have been following for a long time, you know that i used to call my blog “fly far.” that name felt fitting when i was living in israel since it was mainly content about our daily adventures & any traveling i did when israel was “homebase” …which was quite a bit!

after moving back to the states, i felt like i wanted a brand name that could act as a larger umbrella for “bohemian” content that comes from me, whether it be my personal style, travel adventures, DIY crafts, etc. i’ve chosen to call my site “bohemian by nature” which will encompass everything that is me: city girl with a free spirit. i created a fresh, modern logo and wanted to take my site to the next level in terms of design. i was lucky enough to be contacted by blogerize to work with them in redesigning my site in exchange for a review of their services & output and i am THRILLED with how everything turned out! i worked with lauren specifically and we literally went back and forth emailing over 50 times to get it right, test it, tweak it, etc. she was so patient and helpful through the whole process. i can’t recommend them enough if you are looking to give your site a facelift or if you need any information or support in blogging/site management.

since moving back from israel, i switched blogging platforms from blogspot to wordpress & while i love the wordpress and all it offers, i still felt restricted with the free design templates because i couldn’t tweak the layout and functions the way i wanted. i like to think i know a thing or two about usability, optimizations, content organization, etc. i just needed help starting it all. i had also been meaning to take the plunge and “self-host” my website for a while so that down the road (when it’s needed) i will be able to gain even more control over the design, features, storage, etc. and when blogerize reached out to me to re-design my site it was the best excuse to pull the trigger. i am now self-hosted, utilize wordpress as my dashboard aaannnnd was able to achieve a more specific and tailored-to-me look & feel of my site and brand by collaborating with blogerize to design and implement it all. i’m so excited and thankful for this robust & exciting site design, i hope my site is more fun for you to poke through & that you can easily find all of my articles in one place now. i am still working on all of the content organization, but any feedback you have is welcome 🙂

&& if there is anything you would like me to write about or focus on more in 2018, let me know in the comments!!

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i’m thankful for so many things and yesterday was an opportunity to actually say what i am thankful for OUT LOUD, i don’t do that enough and i am going to start trying harder.

at the moment, here are the top 3 things i am thank for:

1. dek & our relationship. i truly have a lover, a friend and partner in life with him and i’m so happy with where we are today. we’re stronger than ever and have a deeper connection than when we first got together. we just “announced” to our family that we are trying to get pregnant. we’re ready to grow this family of ours!!!

2. family. don’t know where i would be without the guidance of my mom, dad, sister and brother. i have unique relationships with each of them that i am so thankful for.

3. ambition. to work, to travel, to explore. i’m thankful this spark is alive in me and in my mind. i will never stop dreaming and doing things that i love and i’ll never stop reaching for the endless possibilities that i can and will creating something amazing in this life.

i’m also thankful YOU are here reading this post on my site. if you didn’t notice already, it’s gotten a little bit of a makeover (post coming soon about that!), hopefully you will find the site more visually appealing. feel free to share the top 3 things you’re currently thankful for in the comments below, i’d love to hear!

anyways, back to thanksgiving and the good stuff, the food! it was my second time hosting this holiday and probably won’t be my last, i love doing it! everyone offered to bring a dish which helped alleviate the pressure. i made a simple, but tasty brisket in the crock pot, following this recipe. it’s super easy – you just throw everything in the night before and wake up to garlic aroma filling the house and tender brisket with mushrooms marinating – everyone was drooling over it – it was insaaaannnne! i also made this white bean dip that i snagged from cupcakes & cashmere’s site, which was light and oh, so snack-able. dek made oven-baked chicken from his mom’s recipe book and we had a simple green salad with tomatoes, feta, pine nuts and pecans with lemon-garlic dressing. my mom brought smashed potatoes & gravy and pumpkin bread (dekel’s favorite!) and my sister brought an intense marbled chocolate and peanut butter reese’s cheesecake and champagne for mimosas. my aunt brought bread rolls and grandmother brought a pickle tray with olives and cranberries. it was SO nice to enjoy a casual lunch with the fam & a delicious meal gathered around a tablescape i was pretty proud of. i definitely indulged in one too many helpings of smashed potatoes & reeses cake with vanilla ice cream but it was soooo worth it!

after lunch we played some table games, our favorites are spoons and mexican train, then we migrated over to the living room to lounge on the couches and have some blonde roast coffee & pumpkin bread. we sifted through the endless pile of black friday ads and mirelle made a list of “doorbusters” we wanted to go check out that evening. after watching a painful first half of the cowboys game, i gave in and went shopping with my mom & sister. we headed out to poke around in jc penny’s, kohls, old navy and target. i scored some great pieces that i am sharing on the blog tomorrow, so be sure to check back.

my tablescape – created with garland from at home stores with pine cones and candles layered in (mandarin currant scent) & vases with eucalyptus from hobby lobby for height. mix-matched napkins are from world market and the gratitude cards are from my mom, tied with white pom-pom string.

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1. Where does your name Miyan come from?
It’s a Hebrew name (a quite common one for boys & girls, actually!) and it means a “spring of water.” To say my name in English is a little tricky, since it has the letter ‘ein’ in it so it’s easier for me to pronounce it “My-on,” when it’s really like “màa-yan.”

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this past weekend was one of the best, most productive ones i can remember having in a long time & i’d love to share what composed of my eventful, history-making, life changing, inspiring last couple of days:

beginning our saturday at coffeehouse cafe with a doubleshot latte swirled into perfection

i love being surrounded by “feel good” items, such as this old (but working!) coffee “syphon” of sorts, newspapers & exposed brick

breath-taking views from my friend’s balcony.

jaw. dropped.

dallas skyline from the “oakcliff side” of town

this beautiful, whimsical thing is margaret hunt hill bridge.

my friend, Lo, & i participated in “yoga on the bridge” hosted by all out! where they were trying to set a Guinness World Record for the world’s largest yoga chain. it was a super cool experience!

sunday morning was spent enjoying brunch with a view of lake lewisville, my mom gifted us a groupon to sneaky pete’s back for christmas & we’ve been meaning to go! it was buffet style, delicious and a great way to start our drizzly day. after brunch, we went to check out at home‘s lewisville location. the store is beautiful & really has everything you would ever want or need PLUS more! little insider scoop: our average customer spends 2+ hours in our store shopping, so take your latte with ya when you go 😉

after home decor shopping, i met my partners at starbucks for our weekly coffee master meeting, where we compared two reserve coffees, french pressed, side by side. we paired each coffee with a different pastry, but i love the compare/contrast element of our tastings, as only by doing so am i able to describe what i taste. and really, when you pair coffee with food, it makes a world of difference!

me at marshall’s trying on some professional looks, slowly but surely adding sophisticated pieces to my wardrobe so i can dress the part as marketing coordinator! loving it!

ps- this jacket came home with me. in love.

thanks for reading & have a wonderful week!

share some highlights of your weekend below, i’d love to hear!

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we go for their delicious double lattes and end up sharing something amazing from their super unique menu, like the challah french toast sandwich, their lemon ricotta pancakes or fred’s flatbread, which is flatbread topped with spinach, turkey bacon, aioli, tomatoes, eggs and mozzarella cheese…it’s amazing! they even offer a pet-friendly patio so we took peanut for a little day trip with us 🙂

on saturday (tx/ou game day), greenville avenue pizza company celebrated their 7th year of business success with pizza & beer specials, live trivia and karaoke, which we went to be a part of and support. dek & i split ate most of our pepperoni, green olive and onion pizza and we washed it down with a fireman’s 4 and a modelo. we sweat their pizza and meatballs, go try them if you haven’t already…here are a few photos from the past few days, if you’d like to see:

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dekel and i are back from our israel trip, landed sept. 13 & have already sunken into our lives here in dallas, back at at my mom’s house. which is nice, living with her was a necessity in the beginning, but it’s not the “beginning” anymore & i feel we have gotten too comfortable here. it’s time we ramp up our game to make and save in order to get a place of our own. but the make part is crucial.

speaking of, mirelle & i were vendors for sour melan at the dallas pride festival at lee park this past sunday. it was such a fun, colorful event! everyone was super nice and friendly, sometimes a little too friendly- haha! dekel was a great sport and rocked a tutu and my bikini top for the first part of our 10-hour day just to be funny and people (guys) were loving him! coming up to take pictures with him, caressing his chest, putting stickers on his body, etc this one man even came up to hit on him, which just made dekel blush, it was so much fun to witness such awkward moments. we had a blast & were semi-successful. we didn’t make as much as i had hoped, but it was a great experience and we might even do it again next year.

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i always mean to update sooner, but always find something else to do besides sit my butt down to write. even though, while living abroad in israel writing & blogging used to be a huge passion of mine. don’t get me wrong, it still is, i guess lately i have just redirected my passion to crafting and expanding our small business which, unfortunately, does not leave much time for me to get lost in blogging like i used to or even compose my thoughts enough to write about.

i still check my fav blogs every other day & love scouring the internet for blog-worthy photos of dreamy vacation destinations, but i just cant find the time to write like i used to. i guess my blog also held a different purpose when i lived abroad, it was a peek inside my life of “flying far,” living away from home. living in israel and traveling to the countries around it. i would share what i did that week, where we went, ate, etc. and now that i live in dallas, near to my friends and family, i don’t see my blog holding the same purpose. i still use social media sites, but blogging has taken a backseat to my life. and i hope to change that.

anyways, dekel and i will be visiting israel in 3 weeks & we are so excited to be back in our beloved country and to see family and friends. my dear savta (grandmother in hebrew) passed away about a month ago, so this trip will be a bit different for me, as she was the one i always gravitated to visit when i was living there. i even lived with my israeli grandparents for a few months, so it will be tough to face her death and not be able to see her sweet face while i am there. but this trip is more for dekel. he needs this. i can remember how badly i needed the visits home. i would visit every year and a half and it never seemed enough. he needs this and we are both looking forward to it. dekel’s best friend, guy, will be getting married the day we land in israel, so we are looking forward to a whirlwind of events and celebrations during our stay. a trip to tel aviv with dekel’s whole family has been planned and for the weekdays in between, dekel and i plan to take nature hikes, go to the beach and spend time with my 2 little sisters, mai & leonne.

dekel & i enjoyed one of the BEST breakfasts we have had since moving to dallas last year at coffee house cafe this morning. i had the a breakfast sandwich with bacon, cheddar & egg whites on cinnamon-infused french toast, which was completely decadent and amazing. dek had a ginormous breakfast burrito with beans, egg, jalapenos, potatos, cheese & salsa, which he devoured.